Power electronics modules are semiconductor modules used in power electronics circuitry. Power electronics modules are employed typically in vehicular, rail and industrial applications, for example in inverters or rectifiers. They likewise find application in the form of energy generation and transmission. The semiconductor components contained in the power electronics modules may involve e.g. semiconductor chips including an insulated gate (IGBT), a metal oxide field-effect transistor (MOSFET), a junction field-effect transistor (JFET), a thyristor, or a diode.
Many semiconductor modules comprise a number of electric terminals feed through a top side of the module housing so as to enable an electric connection to an external printed circuit board or the like. At the bottom side of the module, a substrate may be adhered to the module housing. However, it turned out that if the module is operated in a corrosive atmosphere containing corrosive compounds, for example water vapor, salt fog, hydrogen sulfide (H2S), acid sulphur (H2SO4), there is a risk that the corrosive compound(s) enter the interior of the module, as the feed-through locations and/or adherent does not sufficiently inhibit the intrusion of the corrosive compound(s). Inside the module, the corrosive compound(s) may cause the growth of dendrites in particular between copper conductor operated at different electric potentials. Finally, such dendrites can cause electrical shorts between the copper conductors. Hence, there is a need for an improved solution.